Hollyn Monroe: 12 Months!

 

*You are standing up and squatting all the time by yourself and you're so proud!  You just smile from ear to ear when we catch you standing.

*You do pretty well at cruising around things, but no walking yet!  You like to take steps holding a hand or two and sometimes will take a step without a hand. You are not quite confident enough to go it alone. :)

*You weigh 20 lbs and are in the 88% in height, 36% in weight, and 50% in head circumference. You are wearing a size 3 diaper and 12-18 months in clothing.

*You are still a momma's girl....no doubt about it.

*You are loving green beans, carrots, and peas these days!  You aren't eating that much baby food either.  When you want more of something you usually squeeze your hands together like you're waving "it" close to you.

*You are still a speed crawler.

*As soon as you walk a few steps, you can go to school!

*You are really starting to understand what we are saying lately and we are getting lots of smiles and excitement when we mention something you want! I'm praying our communication excelerates quickly because there are lots of grunts and squeals when we don't get it right!

*You are about to get another tooth on the bottom!

*Your hair is growing and growing in the back! I see a few curls forming just like your sisters!

*You love the Tupperware drawer. :)

*You really don't want me to leave your side right now and you scream/squeal until I pick you up. It depends on the day how long I let you go on without giving in! As soon as you're picked up though......no tears! Let's just say, you've got us all wrapped around your finger.

*I love our bonding time during nursing and I'm not sure that I'll be giving that up anytime soon.  I love our time together with few distractions and I'm not sure that you're ready either.

*We are so thankful for your sweet little life, Hollyn. You brought us joy after our hearts had been broken and we are beyond grateful to the Lord for His faithfulness. We are looking forward to watching you as you go through growing spurts and reach milestones in the coming months. We love watching your personality shine through more and more each day and we can't wait to see how God uses you. We love you precious girl.

Hollyn Monroe: 11 Months

Twelve months is so close we can almost taste it!  I can't believe how fast the past couple of months have gone.  I feel like we're really in a good groove these days and I love every second I get to spend with this little cupcake.

*She's all of a sudden found a few binkies around the house and loves to suck on them.  She used to kind of take one, but it's been awhile since we've tried.  This picture proves it.  She's apparently a fan. 

*She's a smacker.  Loves to smack her little lips before a meal and it cracks me up.

*She loves to find mini legos, tiny squinkies, and any other little microscopic toy and put it in her mouth.  She hasn't swallowed anything yet (that I'm aware of), but we've got to keep a real good eye on this girl.  She shoves stuff in and then puts a deadlock on her lips.  She'll try to talk and jabber with her mouth closed, which is always our first sign.  She's got a toy!!!!

*She will also find things on the floor (usually larger in size) that she knows she can't have and in the sweetest way she'll offer them up to us.  Like....here you go, mom....I'm not supposed to have this.

*She squints her eyes and wrinkles her nose when she smiles.  Presh.  

*She's a good little shopper.  Give her a little item to tinker with and she's good to go!

*I'm not sure that I've ever mentioned this, but she LOVES to hold on to things for comfort while she's nursing.  It may be my shirt, neck, the blanket we're covered in, or my necklace.  She just rubs and rubs and rubs.  LOVE it and I'm going to miss it terribly.    

*We're still nursing and going strong!  I've never been home this much with any of the other girls, so usually at this point we're really winding things down in the nursing department (using a lot of my stored milk), but with Hollyn I'm not so sure.  She's not a big fan of formula these days, so I'm not sure what we'll do at this point. 

*New food love....grapes and blueberries.   

*Your hair is growing so fast and it's starting to curl up in the back.  It is adorable and we can't wait to see if you'll have curly hair like you're big sisters.

*You are standing by yourself more and more!  Cruising has become easier for you too. We're hoping that you start to take a few steps soon!